I was passing through Utah about 4 or 5 weeks ago, and I stopped in a bookstore to pick something up for the flight home. "Environment for Murder" looked interesting, but I wasn't expecting much from a local author, even one with the credentials of Mr. Decker. I was pleasantly surprised. As a professor of English Literature I am not easily impressed, but Decker's flowing prose and intricate characters impressed me greatly. I recommend this book to anyone.

I've never been to Utah, but I feel like I have after reading Rod Decker's incredible book! Every character leaped of the page, and the ending had me talking to my friends for months. I hope Decker will favor us with a new book soon.

Everyone else is right on, this book is amazing. I recommend it highly to anyone.

This book is about connecting with children and adults no matter their situation. It is about compassion and being non-judgemental. It is about seeing what is extraordinary in every child even when they are trying hard to hide from the world. Stacey Bess is intuitive, honest, straight-forward and compassionate. She connects with children not because she is perfect but because she realizes that she is human just like her students. If you want to find stories that will move you and inspire you, then this book is a path to that place.

This is a book about a middle-class teacher who takes a job teaching homeless kids in Salt Lake City. She talks about the kids individually, the problems they had to face being homeless and the joys when she made a breakthrough. It was a lesson on hope and defiance of the odds. I found it especially touching when Karl Malone, a basketball player for the Utah Jazz, took the homeless students Christmas shopping and took them to a Jazz game. I found this to be a wonderful portrayal of the joys and trials of teaching homeless kids.

A beautifully written and honest collection of deeply touching stories that allows the reader a rare opportunity to see life through the tender, young eyes of a child living in a family homeless shelter, as told by their loving dedicated teacher. When the author was first asked to work in the 'School With No Name,' she had no specialized training or curriculum in working with this specialized population of students. But this pioneer let her heart be her guide as she created one of the best pilot programs in alternative education. Her stories will make you laugh, make you cry and will even make you angry. But most of all, it will challenge and inspire you to get involved and find your own special way of making a difference.

The timing of this latest Em Hansen mystery makes the novel already dated but no less enjoyable for that. When a moderate 5.2 earthquake hits Salt Lake City weeks before this year's Winter Olympic Games, the local geologists, including Hansen, get excited. But when the Utah State geologist is murdered, the FBI recruits Hansen to look into the geological state of things. Coping with chronic underemployment and a rocky romance with her Mormon cop boyfriend, Hansen jumps at the chance.

Reviewing maps and tramping the terrain, Hansen discovers that her newly adopted city is riddled with faults, which the city fathers have virtually ignored. Between complacency and corruption, numerous public venues - from housing developments and malls to the spanking new stadium where the Olympics' opening ceremonies are scheduled - sit precariously on fault lines.

The murder investigation parallels Andrews' dire exploration of earthquake inevitability and its devastating effects on an unprepared populace. Greed, politics and religion wrestle with science in a story as much exposé as mystery. An engaging and forthright protagonist, Hansen's narration is interspersed with other viewpoints - a corporate villain, his trained construction geologist and an ambitious newspaper reporter among others - which heightens the suspense and the novel's scope.

What's more exciting than an earthquake that shakes you out of bed first thing in the morning? Sarah Andrews' newest Em Hanson mystery - Fault Line - which kept me up until 2am this morning! Fault Line finds Em Hanson, out-of-work petroleum geologist and fledgling forensic geologist, living in Salt Lake City, sorting out her life. A 5.2 M earthquake on a branch of the Wasatch Fault wakes everybody up and the death of the head of the Utah Geological Survey really gets things rolling. Earthquakes aren't Em's specialty, so we join her as she learns more about the fault lines that run under Salt Lake City and through relationships and families. Cracks appear in the brand new stadium that is to be featured in the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics and in Em's relationship with her boyfriend Ray, Salt Lake City cop and devout Mormon. Shaky ground is found at the site of a brand new shopping mall and in the relationship of Faye, Em's best friend, and Tom Latimer, Zen FBI agent and Em's mentor in detecting. As always, Em the geologist teases out the big picture from a mess of details. Be prepared to learn a lot about seismology and engineering geology. Trips to the ski slopes in Alta, the [Flying] Pie Pizzeria, and the [beautiful] retrofitted City and County Building fill out the local color. In my opinion, this is the best Em Hanson mystery yet. On the Modified Mercalli Scale of Earthquake Intensity, XII means total destruction. On the open-ended [Gutenberg]-Richter Scale of Earthquake Magnitude, a 9.5 is the largest earthquake ever recorded. I can only give Fault Line by Sarah Andrews 5 stars, but if I could give it more, I would!

Everyone expects earthquakes to hit the California coastline, but no one was ready for the 5.2 quake to hit Salt Lake City just weeks before the Olympic Games commence. The Utah State geologist Dr. Sidney Smeeth provides an interview that warns of damage to key structures, but the local TV stations without explanation cut off her talk.

Not long afterward, Sidney is found dead apparently a victim of a fall from the patio of her home. Though a local police matter, FBI agent Tom Latimer wants to insure that the death was not murder to cover up a geological problem that could endanger the upcoming visitors. He asks his friend Em Hansen, perhaps the only current unemployed geologist in the Salt Lake area, to evaluate and give an opinion on several Smeeth reports. However, he does not want this amateur to get involved in the actual investigation. Still Em cannot help but find the political FAULT LINES that shake the core of the city and state leaving her at the epicenter of the inquiry.

The latest Em Hansen geological mystery is the best tale to date of a marvelous series that provides the audience with strong sleuthing and interesting geological information intertwined into the story line. The plot engages the audience as Em gets involved in another mystery. The support cast provides a local flavor that enhances the lead protagonist. FAULT LINE is an amateur sleuth tale worth reading while Sarah Andrews' previous novels are worth digging up at the used bookstores.

Harriet Klausner

This spellbinding account of a young man's journey into adult-hood will keep you up all night. An autobiography that reads like a novel, Fred Weller takes you along as he unashamedly describes his first humorous and less than satisfying sexual experience. Then ride along with him and a professional hit man on a cross-country odyssey that won't let you put the book down until the finish.

Sometimes frightening, sometimes humorous, and often poignant, Weller tells the story of his struggles as he ventures out into the world to make his way as a man and has you rooting for him while wondering how one twenty year-old can get into so much "stuff."

If you liked Weller's first book, Always Courage, you'll look forward to this one so you can follow the further adventures of this young immigrant. What's next, Fred?

A magnificent display of candor in the author's young adult life! Yes, there's sex; yes, there's language; and yes, there's violence, but it's not gratuitous. It's just honest. It's the story of the author's coming of age in terms of his first sexual experience that is so indelibly imprinted that he gives credit to his "teacher." It's the story of the author's choice of friendships at that age with some very unsavory characters. It's the story of the author's cross-country trip in the grasp of an Irish gangster. It is a sexy, powerful tale that is at once seductive and precarious. There is even some comic relief as he describes his captor's encounter with the United States Border Patrol. The author's life hangs in the balance as he seeks his opportunity to escape--an attempt he knows may only come one time. Gripping, powerful, emotional. I felt I was living it and I just wanted to reach in there and pull him out of that maelstrom.

When I read this book I found it very hard to put down. It caught my attention and it never let go. I felt as though I were in a maelstrom--constantly being buffeted between good, evil, sexual sensations, superficiality and deep, lasting values. It imediately took me back to the time when I was the author's age. I related totally with the author's feelings--his first sexual encounter, his views of right and wrong and his fear for his own safety and survival. It was a most wonderful reading experience for me and I have recommended it hightly to audiences of all ages.

...she bought it for the Cowboy Caviar recipe alone (Cowboy Caviar is a recipe for a salsa type dish - no real caviar - just SOOOO GOOD)! Also, the Chili Blanco is TO DIE FOR! I love the way the recipes are grouped into seasons, but any of the recipes could be used any time of year. This book has everything from the recipes mentioned above to flavored butters, delicious margaritas and roasted chicken with rosemary. This is the best cookbook I have ever seen.

This recipe book is one of the best I have ever seen!

A Pinch Of Salt Lake is an impressive and diverse compilation of easy-to-prepare recipes for beverages, hors d'oeuvres, brunches, breads, soups, stews, salads, vegetable and side dishes, seafood, poultry, meats, desserts, pies, cookies, and cakes. From Bacon-Wrapped Scallops; Cucumber Sandwich Canapes; Onion Corn Bread; and Cold Tortellini Salad; to Sweet Fried Corn; Fusilli with Shrimp and Roasted Peppers; Poached Chicken Breasts in Tarragon; and Raspberry Walnut Torte, A Pinch Of Salt Lake will soon become a family kitchen favorite. An extensive index is provided which will ably assist in planning meals appropriate and suitable for all occasions and circumstances.

I own many cookbooks but have yet to find one as good as this one. The many recipes I've prepared are very delicious, have nice presentation and use ingredients that are easy to find. There are quite a few recipes with a "quick & easy" icon on the side which makes it nice when you're in a hurry but would like to make something good. It's a beautiful cookbook that's well laid out. It makes an excellent gift.

Our family read this series. We thoroughly enoyed this series.
I felt like the author took us in with the family and we became apart of their family. It was like being with them when Bro. Thomas had to let his children grow up and make their mistakes.
We hurt for them when they hurt. When they were seperated by war and his mission. Gene's captivity in the war and all he went through. To find out he was still alive was such a relief.
I was so excited to find out Mr. Hughes started his new series.
I just ordered Vol. #1 today. I can't wait for it to arrive.

I loved this book! The charactors seem so real, and I learned a bunch of stuff about the 60's I didn't know before. If you like historical fiction, romance, and action, this is the book for you. I would recomend it to any teen looking for a good book.

...P>This book does not contain his fascinating war stories, however; this is an autobiographical perspective on the management of a major airport, and therefore appeals to a fairly specific audience--airport administrators. There is some value to the average business administrator, though: General Bywater points out some of the pitfalls that any admin might face, particularly one involved in municipal or state government. He also tells, in an entertaining fashion, how he and his crew managed to get past the snags and build SLC into a first-class airport.

This book is not as gripping as Bywater's other publications, simply due to the nature of the material--to the average reader, war stories tend to be more exciting than airport management. However, those in the airline industry may find an interesting perspective within the pages of Airport Report.

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting and attending a reading by Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. At the time, I was unfamiliar with her work, but I was nevertheless astounded by her presentation. Immediately, I bought two of her novels-- one of which was Refuge. When I read it a few months after meeting her, I was amazed at the tone and emotion in the text. Williams' book can be a source of peace or healing to many whether you have experienced cancer, a loss, or just adore nature. The language is rich yet gentle. The structure of the narrative is such that, during reading and after, a reader feels she has experiences a unique marriage of nature and family issues. The way in which Williams weaves the Great Salt Lake and its inhabitants with her own family's suffering is not only amazing but especially touching as well. Just as the waterfowl and other creatures are evicted from their home during the great rise and flood of Salt Lake, so does William's mother fight for the domicile and dominance in her own cancerous body.
This is a must read. A wonderful story of love, hardships, and more love, REFUGE is a truly breathtaking piece of art.

Now that I have read Terry Tempest Williams' excellent book on finding refuge in the areas around the Great Salt Lake, I find I want to visit, to see for myself the stunning landscape and myriad of birdlife. I also find myself drawn to this courageous woman who lets us into this difficult part of her life, as her mother passes into the shadow of cancer. Not for the first time, we learn, and not such a rare occurrence in her family, we discover; a discovery that, for me, evoked anger at the unfairness of exposing human beings to atomic bomb test fallout. There is so much in this book: the detailed descriptions of the birds and their habits, the extraordinary unfolding of the progression of cancer and its effect on the family, the interplay of three women -- grandmother, mother, daughter -- and through it all, the gentle and exquisite writing carried me nearly effortlessly, yet with great strength. I can find no fault with the writing, the evocative images, the revelation of relationships, and the treatment of this undoubtedly amazing place. Thank you, Terry, for writing this book.

As the Great Salt Lake rose to submerge and destroy the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, grief rose and submerged Terry Tempest William's spirit with the destruction of her mother and grandmother by cancer. The gradual regeneration of the Refuge with the subsiding of the lake parallels the regeneration of her spirit and the subsiding of her grief. But the pain and the scars remain and transform. Terry is no longer an accepting trusting Mormon daughter but a searching questioning activist after her tumultuous emotional experience. One wonders if the gifts of awareness and sensitivity are worth the price of the pain endured. The Refuge becomes a sanctuary for the returning birds and Terry's returning spirit. No more moving piece has been written about the folly and ultimate tragedy of human intervention in the environment. From the nuclear testing of the 1950s to the manipulation of the level of the Great Salt Lake, there is much to learn about the long term consquences of our short sighted acts. Everyone should read and reread and pass on this book.

I have been looking for some action adventures for my young teenage boy that didn't have swearing and sex in. "Race Against Time" is a book you can count on. It is absolutely clean but full of adventure and action. I read it in the evenings to my 13 year old boy and he wouldn't let me stop. He loved it. This summer I bought the CD and my teenagers and I spent many hours listening to it as we weeded the garden and worked in the yard. We must have listened to it 5 times - enjoying the story each time and picking up more and more of its delightful humor. I recommend this book for tenagers, boy or girl, and adults as well. It is well written and an exceptionally fun book to read.

The only poory written part of Race Against Time is the back cover, which gives away too much of the plot and thereby obviates certain sections of the book. But that is a complaint against the publisher, not the author. This is a good first novel that left only a few questions unanswered. More development of the 1830s period is warranted. A good "religious" book that somewhow manages to avoid becoming too preachy.

This book was great. An excelent story which would entertain nearly anyone. Incredibly fast-paced, exciting and gripping. I read it everywhere i went. Definately my favorite book of all times.